Escape ladders



Feb. 24, 1959 E. POMPILIO 2,874,887

ESCAPE LADDERS Filed Aug. 1, 1957 I s Sheets-Sheet 1 J3 J j 46a. 41.. INVENTOR.

P 6: 54/619115 POMP/Z/O Feb. 24, 1959 E. POMPILIO 2,374,837

ESCAPE LADDERS Filed Aug. 1, 1 957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 83 63 I Fl 5 66 57 o A o 0 M g g I I o O O Q 0 0 Q 0 O 0 INVENTOR. [Z/Gf/Vf POMP/Z/O United States Patent ESCAPE LADDERS Eugene Pompilio, Philadelphia, Pa. Application August 1, 1957, Serial No. 675,720

3 Claims. (Cl. 228-38) generally toteollapsible escape vIt is, therefore, a general object of the present invention to providea novel collapsible escape ladder construction which more satisfactorily achieves the above-mentioned desiderata, is capable of manufacture outof relatively light-weight material so as to have a relatively low total weight, which is extremely small in its collapsed condition for convenience in handling andstorage, and which is capable of quick, easy, and foolproof operation, even by inexperienced persons.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a collapsible escape ladder having the advantageous characteristics mentioned in the preceding paragraph, which is more staunch and sturdy in its operative condition, for greater safety in use, and which can be manufactured and sold at reasonable cost.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a materia part of this disclosure.

The invention accordingly consistsin the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope will be indicated by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

ible escape ladder constructed in accordance with the present invention, in its collapsed condition;

Figure 2 is a partial perspective view illustrating the ladder of Figure 1 in its extended condition;

Figure 3 is a sectional viewrtaken substantially along the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Figure 3, but somewhat enlarged forclarity of detail;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 55 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 6-6 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is an elevational view showing a slightly modified escape-ladder constructionof the present invention, which construction is in its nonuse, collapsed condition;

Figure 8 is an elevational view showing the ladder construction of Figure 7 in its condition association with a building wall;

' Figure 9 is atransverse sectional view taken substantiallyalong the line 9- 9 of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a partial perspective view showiug the of use in operative Figure 1 is a front elevational view showing a collapsice escape-ladder construction of Figures 7 and 8 in a condition intermediate that of the collapsed condition of Figure 7 and the fully extended condition of Figure 8;

Figure 11 is a fragmentary sectional view showing in Patented Feb. 24, 1959,

detail the juncture of a ladder rung of Figures 7-10 with the rung-connecting bars;

Figure 12 is a partial perspective view showing a standoff or spacer element of the ladder of Figures 7-11, somewhat enlarged;

Figure 13 is a perspective view illustrating the elements of Figure 12 in exploded condition;

Figure 14 is a side elevational view showing another slightly modified form of escape-ladder construction of the present invention, in operative association with a building wall;

Figure 15 is a partial front elevational view of the ladder of Figure 14;

Figure 16 is a partial sectional view taken substantially along the line 16-16 of Figure 14;

Figure 17 is a fragmentary side elevational view, somewhat enlarged, showing in greater detail the construction of the escape ladder of Figure 14;

Figure 18 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 18-48 of Figure 16; and

Figure 19 is a side elevational view showing the ladder of Figure 14 in a collapsed condition for storage.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and specifically to the embodiment of Figures 1-6, there is illustrated therein an escape ladder, generally designated 30, which includes a plurality of telescopically retractile and extensile frame members or sections 31, 32, 33, 34,

, and 35, all of which are of similar construction, varying slightly in dimensions.

Each of the ladder sections 31-35 is of a rigid, open framework, of substantially hexahedral configuration. For example, the uppermost ladder section or frame member 31, see Figure 2, includes a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending rear bars 38, and a pair of laterally spaced longitudinally extending front bars 39,

between and is rigidly connected to the upper ends of,

each adjacent pair of front and rear longitudinal members 38 and 39, as by fasteners 41; and, a forwardly and rearwardly extending bottomspacer member 42 extends between and is rigidly connected, as by fasteners 43, to the lower ends of each adjacent pair of longitudinal members or bars 38, 39. i p

To complete the hexahedral frame member 31, a pair of upper laterally extending bars or crosspieces 45 and 46 are connected between the upper ends of the longitudinal frame members 38 and 39, while a pairof laterally extending, lower bars or crosspieces 47 and 48 are connected between the lower ends of the longitudinal bars. More specifically, the upper crosspieces 45 and 46 extend in substantial parallelism with each other,

laterally of the frame member 31, the former being spaced l rearward of the latter, so that crosspiece 45 has its opposite ends rigidly connected torespective upper ends of the rear longitudinal bars 38 by the fasteners 41, while the front crosspiece 46 has its opposite ends rigidly connected to the respective, upper ends of the front longitudinal members 39 by the fasteners 41. Similarly, the

piece and has its opposite ends fixedly secured to respective lower ends of the front longitudinal members 39." As the longitudinalbars 38 and .39' are of angle stock,

and each arranged with its acute, angle facing inward;

it will now be appreciated that the frame member or ladder section 31 defines an open framework of generally hexahedral configuration.

. However, as is'best seen in Figures 3, 4, and 5, the frame section 31 tapers longitudinally downward, at least in its forward and rearward dimension, so that each adjacent pair of longitudinal members 33 and 39 converge toward each other fromtheir upper toward their lower ends. In addition, it maybe desired to have the framesection taper downward in its lateral dimension, whereupon the rear longitudinal members 38 would converge toward each other in the downward direction, as would the front longitudinal members 39.

The construction thus far described of frame section 31-; is equally applicable to each of the remaining frame sections 32-35. However, each of the frame sections is dimensioned so as to have its upper end region slidably received within the next upper frame section for movement therein between the contracted condition of Figure 1 and extended condition of Figure 2. More particularly, the frame section 32, wherein elements corresponding to elements of the frame section 31 will be designated by the same reference numerals as those elements of the latter section with the addition of the letter a, has its longitudinal rear pieces 38a and longitudinal front pieces 39a spaced apart by upper spacer bars 40a and lower spacer bars (obscured in the drawing) so as to converge downward at the same angle as longitudinal members 38 and 39. Further, the upper end regions of each adjacent pair of longitudinal members 38a and 39a are spaced apart so as to abuttingly engage with the lower crosspieces 47 and 48, respectively, of the next upper frame section 31, and thereby limit further extension or withdrawal of the frame section 32 relative to the frame section 31.

In addition, the rear and front upper crosspieces 45a and 46a of the frame section 32 extend laterally between the rear and front longitudinal members 38a and 3%, respectively, being fixedly secured to the outer surfaces thereof, so as to rest on and in bearing engagement with the lower crosspieces 47 and 48, respectively, of the next upper frame section 31. In this manner, the frame section 32 has itsupper end region configured for limiting engagement with the lower end region of the next upper frame section 31 to limit the telescopic extension of the frame members.

, Thus, in the extended condition of Figure 5, the lower frame section 32 has its upper region wedged snugly in the lower region of the upper frame section 31, and is further retained by abutting engagement of its upper crosspieces 45a and 46a with the lower crosspieces 47 and .48 ofthe upper frame section. In the contracted condition of Figure 1, and as best seen in Figures 3 and 4,. it may be observed that the upper crosspieces 45 and 46 are preferably spaced apart forwardly and rearwardly a distance insufficient to pass therebetween the forwardly and rearwardly spaced upper crosspieces 45a and 46a of the next lower frame section 32. Similarly, the lower crosspieces 47 and 48 of the frame section 31 are spaced apart forwardly and rearwardly a distance insufficient to pass therebetween the lower crosspieces 47a and 48a of the next lower frame section 32. Hence,

the frame section 32 is incapable of passing upward" said frame sectionsmay tend to swing forwardly andrearwardly out of their next upper frame sections when in collapsed or retracted condition. This tendency may also be present when the frame sections are configured to have their lateral dimension taper or decrease in the downward direction. In order to resist this tendency, and retain the upper fram' 2 sections within their respective next upper frame sections when collapsed, each of the frame sections 3235 is provided with retaining fingers extending laterally from its upper region, as at. 50 and 51 of the frame section 32. More specifically, a pair of retaining fingers 50 and 51 are fixedly secured to diagonally opposite ends of the upper crosspieces 45 and 46, as by fasteners 41, and project laterally outward be-. yond the frame member 31 in opposite directions. The retaining fingers 50 and 51 are secured in facing engagement with the outer surfaces of the top crosspieces 45a and 460, respectively, so as to be respectively spaced rearward and forward of the longitudinal members 38 and 39 of the next upper frame section 31 when in extended condition. By this construction, the lower frame section 32 may be retracted upward into the next upper frame section 31 without binding engagement of member 31, as by having its opposite ends tied to the spacer bars 40 and including a hook 54, may be provided for securing the ladder when in use. 54 may be secured to the inside of a window sill, and the collapsed ladder 30 thrown out through the'window, whereupon the ladder sections will, by gravity, extend to their limiting condition for effective service as an escape ladder.

The modified escape ladder, generally designated 60, of

Figures 7-13, includes a pair of laterally spaced-apart pantographs or lazy-tong linkages 61 and 62 which are connected together at their laterally opposite pivot points for simultaneous extension and retraction. More specifically, the lazy-tong or pantograph linkage 61 includes a pair of crossed, pivotally connected rigid bars or links 63 and 64, and a next lower pair of crossed, pivotally connected links 63a and 64a. More specifically, the links or bars 63 and 64 are pivotally connected intermediate their ends at their crossover point 65, while the links or bars 63a and 64:: are pivotally connected together intermediate their ends at their crossover point 65a. In addition, the lower end of link 63 is pivoted to the upper end of link 64w at 66, while the lower end of link 64 ispivoted to the upper end'of link 6311 at 67.

The lazy-tong linkage or pantograph 62 is substantially identical to the linkage 61, so that the same reference numerals may be employed to designate corresponding parts. Thus, the lazy-tong linkage 62 includes a pair of crossed, pivoted upper bars or links 63 and 64, and apair of crossed, pivoted lower links or bars 63a and 64a. The lower ends of the upper links 63: and 64' are respectively pivoted to the upper ends of the lower links 64a and 63a.

A plurality of rigid crosspieces or rungs extend laterally between laterally opposed pivotal connections of the linkages 61 and 62 to connect the linkagestogether for simultaneous extension and retraction. In particular, a crosspiece or rung 70 extends between the pivotal connection 65 of the linkage 61 and the corresponding, laterally opposed pivotalconnection of the linkage62, while a crosspiece or rung 7:0a extends between the. pivotal connecti'oir 65a of the linkage 61 and the corresponding, laterally opposed pivotal connectionof the linkage 62.

Extending between the pivotal connection- 67 of the linkage 61, and the corresponding pivotal connection of the' linkage 62 is afront crosspiece or rung71, while a-rear crosspiece or rung 72 extends between the'pivotalconnection 66 of the linkage 61, andthe corresponding pivotal connection of the linkage 62. At the upper ends That is, the hook of the uppermost links or barsof'the linkages 61 and 62, a front crosspiece or rung 73. extends between the upper ends of the links 63 of linkages 61 and 62; while a rear crosspiece or rung 74 extends between the upper ends of links 64 of the respective linkages.

While the uppermost crosspieces 73 and 74 may be fixedly secured to their respective links or bars, the crosspieces or rungs connecting corresponding pivotal regions of the respective lazy-tong linkages may assume the structural detail of Figure 11. It will there be seen that the crosspiece or rung 70 includes a major rod portion 77 extending between the laterally inner bars or links 64, and is provided with reduced end portions 78 each extending rotatably through an adjacent pair of links 63 and 64 to pivotally connect. the respective. adjacent pair of links. The outer end of each reduced, pivot portion 78 is preferably enlarged, as at 79, and flush with the outer surface of the outer link 63, while the enlarged major rung portion 77 defines a shoulder engaging the inner surface of the inner link 64 to maintain the links on the reduced pivot portion 78. An annular spacer or washer 80 may be interposed between each adjacent pair of links 63 and 64, circumposed about the adjacent pivot portion 78, if desired.

Connected to the upper rungs or crosspieces 73 and 74 may be suitable suspension means, such as a flexible cord or line 83 having its opposite ends tied to respective upper rungs, and provided intermediate its ends with a hook 84.

Provided on selected, laterally outer links of the lazy tongs 61 and 62, as on links 63a, may be secured standoff members or spacers 87, which each extend rigidly from and generally normal to its respective link. In particular, the standoff members or spacers 87 are arranged to extend generally rearward when the ladder is in its extended condition of use, and are each provided with a laterally outturned foot 88 for engagement with a building wall, as will appear presently.

One mode of fixedly securing each standoff member to its respective link is illustrated in Figure 13, wherein the link 63a is provided with a noncircular hole 89, and the forward or front end portion of the standoff member 87 is provided with a similar noncircular hole 90 adapted to register with the hole 89. A fastener, such as a rivet 91 having a noncircular shank engageable through the registering holes 89 and 90, may be employed to rigidly, nonrotatably secure the standoff member 87 to the link 63a.

It will now be appreciated that the laterally spaced lazy-tong linkages 61 and 62, and their laterally extending connecting rungs, may be collapsed or contracted to the condition of Figure 7 for storage and nonuse, and extended to the condition of Figure 8 for use. The operative condition of Figure 8 may be achieved bymerely engaging the suspension hook 84 with a window sill, as illustrated at 94, and dropping the collapsed ladder 60 from the window opening. The ladder will automatically extend and assume the illustrated condition with its standoff members 87 extending rearward for engagement with the wall 95 to maintain the ladder in properly spaced condition forward of the wall. Of course, the several standofi members 87 on each lazy-tong linkage are located so as not to interfere with retraction and extension of the ladder, say as illustrated in Figure 7.

The additional embodiment of Figures 14-19 relates to an escape ladder, generally designated 100, which includes a pair of elongate, laterally spaced flexible members, lines or cords 101, between which extend a plurality of generally parallel, rigid crosspieces or rungs 102.

More particularly, the flexible side members 101 may be of rope, wire, or other suitable material, and have their upper ends connected to a suspension hook 103 or other suitable suspension means. At a plurality of equally spaced points along each flexible member 101, are located a plurality of collars, clamps, or stops 104.

nether pair of stops.

6. The stops 104 of one member 101 are located in respective, laterally opposed relation with the stops on the other flexible member. The stops 104 are secured fast to their respective lines 101, and may, if desired, be adjustable therealong or detachable therefrom.

The crosspieces or rungs 102 may each consist of a tube extending laterally between the lines 101 and provided at its opposite end regions with transverse apertures through which the lines extend. Thus, as best seen in Figures 16 and 17, the lines 101 each extend transversely through a respective end portion of each crosspiece or rung 102. Further, each crosspiece or rung is located on a respective line 101 between an adjacent pair of stops 104, so that upon vertical disposition the rungs are each supported at their ends by the adjacent This condition is best seen in the operative position of Figures 14 and 15.

A plurality of standoff members or spacers 107 are respectively carried by and project rearward from the rungs 102 when the ladder is suspended in operative position. More specifically, a pair of standoff members 107 are secured to and project rearward from each crosspiece or rung 102, at opposite ends thereof. The standoff members 107 may each be fabricated of stiff, resilient.

strip material arcuately bent to form of its major intermediate portion a generally circular loop 108, and having its end portions 109 and 110 extending forward from the loop portion 108 embracing the adjacent rung 102 and in overlapping engagement with each other. A securing pin 111 may extend through the overlapping strip end portions 109 and 110, and through the underlying portion of the adjacent rung 102 to fixedly secure the loop 108 in its rearwardly extending relation with respect to the adjacent rung. It will now be appreciated that each of the standoff members 107 includes a relatively stiff, resilient loop lying in a plane substantially normal to the axis of the adjacent crosspiece or rung.

In use, the ladder may have its suspension hook 103 engaged over wall ledge 113 and dropped therefrom to assume the generally vertical disposition of Figure 14, wherein the rungs 102 are spaced from the wall for sure footing of a user. In storage, the ladder 100 may be contracted as by coiling in the manner of Figure 19. As the elongate members 101 are flexible, the standoff members 107 may be laterally offset from each other to permit coiling in a minimum of space.

From theforegoing, it is seen that the present invention provides a collapsible escape ladder which fully accomplishes its intended objects, and is well adapted to meet practical conditions of manufacture, storage, and

use.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A collapsible escape ladder adapted to be suspended from a building wall, said ladder comprising a plurality of open frame members each of generally hexahedral configuration and arranged in longitudinal telescopic relation with respect to each other, said frame members being telescopically retractile for storage and telescopically extensile for use with the lower end region of each frame member contiguous to the upper end region of the next lower frame member, each of said frame members having its, upper end region configured for limit ing engagement with the lower end region of the next upper frame member to limit said telescopic extension, each of said frame members including a pair of laterally extending forwardly and rearwardly spaced upper end pieces, and a pair of laterally extending forwardly and rearwardly spaced lower end pieces, the upper end pieces 7 of each frame member being arranged to rest on and in abutting engagement With'the lower end pieces of the next upper frame member in the limiting position of said telescopic extension.

2. A collapsible escape ladder according to claim 1, said laterally extending upper end pieces being in subs'tantially vertical planes for edge'engagement with said next upper frame in the limiting position of telescopic extension.

3. A collapsible escape ladder according to claim 1,

in combination with retaining means projecting laterally from the upper regions of said frames and each engageable with the next upper frame to limit relative forward and rearward swinging movement of adjacent frames.

References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Buttkereit Mar. 12; Fischer Dec. 14', Monroe Mar. 4, Coughtry Feb. 27, Taylor Dec. 5, Saccone Jan. 9,. McCracken Dec. 29, Zeman Aug. 23, Boor Dec. 5, Moeller Apr. 10, Skohnen May 12, Morrow July 9, 

